Hundreds of spud lovers pack into village hall for annual potato day
Around 500 people made their way to a Shropshire village hall on Saturday for the annual celebration of all things potato.
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The 2024 Potato Day at Wattlesborough Village Hall near Shrewsbury on Saturday, marked the 20th anniversary of yearly celebration of the humble spud.
The day was opened at 9.30am by veteran members of the Shropshire Organic Gardeners who put on the Potato Day each year.
The event sees enthusiasts come from all over the country in search of rare seedlings.
Visitors were able to buy a range of seed potatoes, and a there were also a host of stalls from local organisations. Experts were also on hand giving advice budding potato growers.
Members of Shropshire Organic Gardeners first came up with the idea at The Shrewsbury Flower Show in 2004 but the event has moved since it first began 20 years ago.
Chairwoman, Rachel Strivens, said: "This year we are celebrating our 20th anniversay of Potato Day. It started up at Nesscliffe but we've moved to Shrewsbury as we needed a bigger venue.
"We get a huge turnout, up to 500 people in the day. They come to buy the heritage potatoes, which you can get in individual tubers so they can try a wide variety."
She said that there were 47 varieties of the humble potato on offer, costing 20p a tuber, as well as 'Brighter Blooms', including seeds, bare root and potted fruit trees and bushes, rhubarb crowns, strawberry plants, onions, shallots and garlic.
